News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Sunday December 28th 2025
Where the Children Sleep ASI”'s Migration, Identity and Belonging Series Opening January 21
Where the Children Sleep is an exhibition of emotionally moving photographs of refugee children by award-winning Swedish photojournalist Magnus Wennman January 21 ”“ March 5, 2017, at the American Swedish Institute inspired by a theme of Migration, Identity and Belonging, reflecting our founding by Swedish immigrants and a mission to be a gathering place for all people to share experiences around themes of culture, migration, the environment and the arts.Â
Where the Children Sleep is a collection of photographs by the internationally acclaimed Magnus Wennman, who earned two World Press Photo Awards and was named Sweden”'s Photographer of the Year four times.  During his work, Wennman encountered refugees in numerous camps in the Middle East and on their journeys through Europe. His images and stories depict Syrian children who were forced out of their homes by the ongoing war, losing everything.  This exhibition is being presented in collaboration with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
Also Swede Hollow, a display based on Ola Larsmo”'s best-selling Swedish novel that imagines immigrant life at this St. Paul site. The Stories They Told animates the narrative of flat plane figure wood carving, and Green Card Voices shares contemporary Nordic immigrant stories. … Read the rest “Where the Children Sleep ASI”'s Migration, Identity and Belonging Series Opening January 21”
Levi Strauss: You”'ve Left Your Mark on the Ass of America
Roy McBride was born Dec 29th, 1943 with innate poetic instincts that became enhanced by his natural and family surroundings. Roy was a “love” poet because he loved all humanity. He added the vicissitudes of urban life, becoming a much loved urban poet. He was a spoken word performer, poet, journal keeper, visionary, master improviser, teacher, musician, and visual artist. He passed away on July 29th 2011. Secret Traffic, a posthumous publication of some of his poetry very appropriately gives an extensive poetic biography of this gentle man and his accomplishments, publications, and tributes.
BY ROY McBRIDE
1. America is starting to believe in herself.
She is painting her sky a skyer blue.
Latex white clouds float above her
Beneath improved sun
paisley trees flutter harmlessly
in the air of giant wind machines
America is going beyond her own mind
Monday Wednesday and Friday
everyone is white in America
Tuesday and Thursday are black days
Chicano brown Sunday
America is practicing brotherhood
American is playing brotherhood.
2. The world hates America and America hates the world
Giant ocean liners and 747s float each day
down the streets of Paris
tourists gawking through Polaroid windows
Americans bathe in French perfume
Their kitchen faucets are connected to Arabian oilfields
Each native hut in darkest Africa has a new Coke machine
America pays aboriginal people thousands of dollars a year
to work as extras in Margaret Mead”'s books
America hates the world and the world hates America
Latin American dictators sit up nights
studying old Bogart movies.… Read the rest “Levi Strauss: You”'ve Left Your Mark on the Ass of America”
“La La Land”
By Howard McQuitter II
****1/2 out of five stars
“La La Land” (2016)
Liongate
Drama/Musical/Romance
Sebastian has that same passion for jazz as did Andrew (Miles Teller) did in “Whiplash”(2014), by director Damien Chazelle, who directed both “Whiplash” and “La La Land”. In both cases, Sebastian, the pianist, and Andrew, the drummer, have uphill battles, not to mention Chazelle”'s “subtle” love of jazz. (I”'m sure, Mr. Chazelle listens to some of the jazz greats Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, and more.)
The best dance number is at the beginning of the film when people stuck in Los Angeles traffic decide to leave their vehicles temporarily to either jump on tops of their vehicles or stay on the ground to dance and sing. And at first when Sebastian and Mia meet on that highway there is no love at first sight. In time the romance will grow, sputter, spin and who knows what else. Boss (J.K. Simmons, also in “Whiplash” as hard task music director) fires Sebastian at an upscale dinner club putting Seb out on the pavement looking for work. Meanwhile, Mia is having it tough finding steady work as an actress. She begins to doubt herself and finds ways she can”'t make it as an actress.… Read the rest ““La La Land””
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